Wild Boars? Feral Hogs? Expanding Across North Carolina

In 6 Western Counties a wild hog is considered a big game animal called a “wild boar” in the rest of the state they are a non game animal called a “feral hog”. No matter what you call it a pig can certainly destroy some habitat. Once they get a foothold eradicating them is nearly impossible. Mecklenburg county seems to be having some feral pig problems after what officials believe may have been an illegal release of the hogs into the wild.

A park worker spotted the first boar in Cowans Ford Wildlife Refuge in November, and motion-detecting cameras have snapped several portraits there since. They’re the first ever seen on county property.
Wild boars are most familiar in North Carolina’s western tip, where they’re hunted. But their number and range are growing statewide.
It may seem a little exciting to know that bristly, 180-pound hogs are roaming the outskirts of Charlotte, grandly tossing their tusks. But biologists groan at the prospect.
“We’re not talking about nice, sweet, pink piggies,” said Chris Matthews, the county park department’s natural resources manager. “These guys just don’t belong here.”

Mecklenburg County is not alone when it comes to problems with hogs there are pockets of them across the state. Will North Carolina become another Texas or Florida with widespread problems with hogs? I don’t think so but who knows for sure. While the opportunity to hunt pigs is appealing seeing them spread across the state is overall a very bad thing. The damage they cause will be devastating to the areas they occupy and may forever reshape the landscape of the state.

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They have appeared down in the Southeast Also. These pigs are not feral Hogs but Russian Boar. They escaped from a pen where a fellow was raising these hogs to sell to game ranches in South Carolina. In five to six years we’ve seen the go from 40 to 50 to in the hundreds. I’ve got a ton of trail cam pics of these menaces. They are very distructive and near impossible to get rid of. We could reduce their numbers if the State would untie our hands and allow us to hunt them at night. But, I doubt that ever happens.

I have been doing some extensive research on the feral hog problems in the lower states. The company I work for may have a solution that could help some of the rural folks out there. We have been supplying electrified netting to the USA for nearly three decades. These netting applications are built specifically for each specie and have been successful against everything from rabbits to mountain lion and bear.

We currently have a pig net for sale that is being used primarily for pastured animals but could be modified and/or tweaked to keep out the feral hog. They are perfect for keeping predators away from gardens, yards, food plots, orchards, crops, etc. They can also be hooked together for longer runs. I realize that this will not help with the overall population, but it will help folks keep these animals somewhat at bay, and if done on a large scale would force them into larger groups because of decreased acres to roam. In that sense they would be easier to trap and/or to kill. You may see these nets at http://www.premier1supplies.com.

I plan to travel to these states to view the terrain, talk to some people, bring along some nets and set them up to test the areas and see what we will be up against. I would greatly appreciate it if you could pass me along to some contact people in the area for a possible visit. The more I can learn about these animals the more I can get a netting application designed to fence them out. I look forward to hearing from you along with any additional ideas that could help. Thanks for your time and have a good day.

The popular states are Kentucky, South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Alabama, Ohio, Florida, Hawaii, Oklahoma and California. Each state has its own set of hunting laws. A satisfying hunting trip demands familiarity with all of them. If the hunter decides to take the services of an outfitter complete with guides and hog hunting dogs, some amount has to be shelled out as license fees.

I was invited to go to the beach with an aunt. During the trip, Aunt Nita introduced me to hunting sharks teeth. Maybe I was a little young, but I did not enjoy this past time. Several years later, I was walking along the beach and happened to look down and see a sharks tooth. I reached to pick it up and suddenly remembered the excitement my Aunt Nita displayed upon finding a sharks tooth.

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